


Separation

by southernbookgirl



Series: Trials and Triumphs [1]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Desperation, Ellick, F/M, Fictober, Happy Early Halloween, Rude Awakening, Somewhat alternate universe, Teamwork, fictober 18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-08 03:15:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16421318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southernbookgirl/pseuds/southernbookgirl
Summary: What would it take for you to realize what really matters most to you?





	Separation

**Author's Note:**

> I have never posted in the NCIS fandom before, though I have watched the show for almost ten years now. This is my take on the "Ellick" relationship. I have not written a fic in almost a year, so I hope this is okay. I want this to be a part of the Ellick fandom, as I love many of the stories written so far. I hope this does the individuals and the show justice. (Fictober #7: "No worries, we still have time.")

_“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”_ ~ _Khalil Gibran_

* * *

Nicholas “Nick” Torres took a deep breath, to steady his voice and swallow any tears, before he spoke into the phone. “Hey, B, how are you?” Trying to joke, he thought and briefly hoped, might lessen the impact of the situation on his partner.

“Nick, hey, we’re coming for you, you know that? Just hold on, we’ll be there soon,” Eleanor “Ellie” Bishop said, frantic worry seeping into every word she uttered.

“B,” Nick replied, his tone softer, more resigned, as if he and Ellie were the only two in the conversation in that moment. “It’ll be okay. Know that I love you, and I always will. Knowing you has been the greatest experience of my life, and loving you is something I will always cherish.” During this, Ellie took several deep breaths, the realization of the situation and his words hitting her hard and deep within her heart and soul. He never spoke like that, so he must really think this is the end for him. _Please, Nick_ , she thought, _please hold on – for the team, for me, for us._

“Torres, Nick,” she replied, a desperate, tearful edge more evident with each word she spoke. “We’re coming. Please hold on. Please, Nick, I…” And before she could utter the words she had been trying for weeks to say, an unwelcome and chilling voice broke into the conversation.

“Time’s up,” Austwell interjected. Ellie noted the smug tone of his voice, and it was all she could do not to put the car in reverse to go and get her partner back. However, the team still hadn’t pinpointed an exact location of Austwell and his hideout, so driving aimlessly around the northern Virginia countryside with Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Jacqueline “Jack” Sloane would be useless.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” the naval engineer advised. In the background, Ellie heard what sounded like Nick struggling against some sort of gag, if the moans and groans were any indication of the pain and discomfort he was in. As an expert in the field of geoelectricity and geothermal engineering, Austwell was a valuable tool to the United States Navy, yet his skill set also made him dangerous to anyone who angered him. With this knowledge, Ellie’s heart broke – even more than she thought possible, considering the circumstances – at the thought of what Torres had been and was going through at the hands of the bastard who kidnapped him.

“Austwell, just listen for a moment. We will work to do everything possible to remedy the terrible situation the investigation put you through. We will investigate, and we will find those responsible.” Director Vance’s orders bordered on a frantic plea over the phone to the lieutenant, he and Tim McGee desperate to stall Austwell while they continued to track the federal agent and his captor’s whereabouts.

“No,” Austwell curtly replied. “You listen to the sound your friend makes when I complete this circuit.” And within a second, Torres started screaming – horrible, gut-wrenching, blood-curling screams laced with pure agony from the electric shock torture Austwell was administering. Ellie’s heart stopped; with each second, the screams grew louder, indicating the progressive increase of the shocks to Nick. The look of horror on Ellie’s face mirrored that of Gibbs and Jack’s faces. Over the phone, the individuals back in Ops gasped. Bishop could hear sniffling – most likely from Kasie – in the background. After a few seconds, Ellie snapped out of her state of shock. Her blood now cold and without a single thought to any current or tentative plan, the former NSA analyst threw the SUV in reverse. Gibbs and Jack quickly buckled their seatbelts to prevent any injury, and off the federal agent drove, frantic to find Nick and rescue him from that bastard’s clutches before it was too late.

As Bishop drove, thankful that there was little highway traffic in this rural part of the county, she prayed to whatever deities or higher powers could hear her. _Please, please, let Nick live. I cannot go on without him. I haven’t been able to tell him yet…tell him how much he really means to me, how much I love him. We had only just started figuring out where we were, where we stood, in the crazy place between our partnership, friendship, and beyond. Please, if you can hear me, God, bring him back to me. As annoying as he is, he is a part of me, and I of him, and I don’t know what I would do without him here with me._ And with this, the tears she’d struggled to hold back silently started to fall, smearing her makeup as the tears ran down her face and fell onto her jacket and the car’s steering wheel.

Though Jack and Gibbs both noticed what was happening, neither one said anything; they realized that Bishop driving was the only distraction she had at the moment. She needed this – to both release and focus her frustration, worry, and anger. But, just because they were silent did not mean either individual wasn’t present in the situation. With his years of experience, Gibbs planned out tactical strategies to rescue Nick whilst doing what it took to protect the team, whereas Jack silently prayed. Sloane would love to say not to worry, they still had time. However, the odds are not in their favor at this moment. As such, all the psychologist could pray was for them to make it in time, find Austwell and rescue Torres, because she could only fathom what Ellie might do if she lost Nick. And honestly, the thought of Ellie on a path of revenge scared Sloane even more than if Torres or Gibbs was in Bishop’s place at the moment – in the dark, grasping for some clue as to what to do, hope for an optimistic outcome draining away by the second. Their calculated training and focus could go out the window when someone they loved was in danger. Thus, McGee and Vance had better let them know something soon about Nick’s whereabouts, or else his screams of pain from the electric shock might be the last, haunting sound they ever would hear from him.

* * *

  _“When it’s gone, you'll know what a gift love was. You’ll suffer like this. So go back and fight to keep it.” ~Ian McEwan,_ Enduring Love


End file.
